


forest of stars

by Anonymous



Series: to infinity and beyond [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Can be platonic or romantic, Fireflies, Fluff, Gen, If You Squint - Freeform, M/M, Stargazing, implied jaeyong?, just jaeno/nomin being cute, they're only mentioned twice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-25 18:12:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12041439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: "And while Jeno also loves the stars above, he can't help but admire the star sitting beside him more - with his mouth wide open in childlike wonder, staring up at the endless night sky, eyes twinkling like two galaxies home to billions of stars. Jaemin was- is beautiful, in every sense of the word.Seeing Jaemin so happy, smiling so bright, made Jeno happy."(Jaemin is homesick so Jeno takes him stargazing to cheer him up.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> If anyone read my other story, a letter from a certain astronaut, this happens in the same AU. Forest of stars is a side story, set years before 'a letter' (this is the summer before they enter college). Might post other side stories for the AU soon, but for now...
> 
> Here is some fluff! I'm not really good at writing fluff, since my forte is angst, but I tried ;u; (Personally, my fave scene is the last one. That made me soft). I apologize for errors because as always, this isn't beta-read ;u; I hope you guys enjoy this~ :3

 

_Sniff. Sniff._

_Swoosh._

The sound of a body tossing and turning restlessly on their bed.

And then more sniffling.

Jeno sighs and the sounds stop. He holds his breath, feigning sleep. A few minutes later, the sounds resume but this time he stays quiet. He slowly lifts his head up to glance at the clock on the small table beside his bed, squinting at the red LED lights flashing  _11:39 P.M_. He shakes his head slightly as he flops back on his bed and rolls over to face the other side, fighting back a groan of annoyance.

He had always been a light sleeper so it's not really a surprise for him to be up like he is now, what with all the sounds _someone_ was making. Still, it kind of irked him that his sleeping schedule will yet again be ruined.

_Sniff. Sniff._

A barely muffled, choked gasp.

Did someone catch a cold a while ago when they went swimming? Jeno finds himself wondering as he listens to the noise that awoke him, but then shakes his head, frowning a little. _No. If someone got sick, Taeyong hyung would have made a fuss over it. So... Was someone crying or something?_

_Sniff. Sniff._

A rustle of sheets.

Either way, Jeno won't be able to go back to sleep so he sits up and tries to pinpoint the source of the sniffling (and light whimpering, the raven belatedly notices. Someone  _was_ crying). His eyes find their way to Jaemin's bed and Jeno, thanks to the moonlight filtering in from their cabin's windows, could see him trembling slightly under his blanket. It was obvious that it wasn't from the cool night air. All the annoyance he previously felt disappeared from his system, being replaced by concern for his best friend.

Something in Jeno urges him to comfort the younger male, so he does.

Determinedly, Jeno stands up and walks as quietly as he could to the brunet's bed. He sits on the side where Jaemin is facing, making the latter freeze and quiet down. He takes the upper end of the blanket and slowly pulls it back, surprisingly finding no resistance from Jaemin.

The brunet was frowning, lips wobbling as he tries to keep them shut, tries not to let any sound out. His eyes were also closed tightly, tear tracks evident on his cheeks. It was as if he was trying to appear asleep, but Jeno knows better. He sighs.

"Why are you crying?"

He could feel Jaemin tense beneath him, so he runs a hand through the younger's fluffy locks to calm him. The effect it has on Jaemin is instantaneous. He relaxes, releasing a soft sigh before opening his eyes. Jaemin stares at Jeno, sniffling a bit as his tears come back. A second later and he sits up, wrapping his arms around the older male. It takes Jeno by surprise but he copies the action, holding Jaemin's smaller figure close.

"What's wrong?" Jeno murmurs when it seemed like Jaemin wouldn't answer, gently rocking the two of them back and forth. The brunet shakes his head, which makes Jeno sigh again. He pulls back from the hug, ignoring Jaemin's sound of protest in favor of tilting his head up, making the younger meet his gaze. "Come on, you can tell me." He prompts, caressing Jaemin's cheek with his thumb.

Jaemin bites his lower lip, and then he nuzzles the raven's hand. "I miss mom, dad, and...-" Came the answer, trailing off at the end as his eyes searched for something within Jeno's mahogany orbs. When he sees whatever it was he was searching for, he continues with a voice barely above a whisper, "-... the night sky..." Jeno would have missed it had he not been so focused on the other.

The brunet tucks his head underneath Jeno's chin, moving closer until he's practically sitting on the older male's lap. Jeno's intense look melts into one of fondness and understanding as he lets Jaemin cling to him again.

_I miss mom and dad._

_I miss the stars._

_I want to go and see them._

_I want to go home._

They spend a few minutes in silence, with Jaemin hugging Jeno tightly while the latter thought of ways to cheer him up. It's then that Jeno remembers something from last year's camp; something about Taeyong taking Jaehyun at a forest clearing somewhere near the other side of the lake, where the view of the night sky was so clear. Perfect for stargazing. Nana would love that, wouldn't he?

They just had to follow a trail of moonflowers, if he remembers correctly, and then they would reach the location.

Nodding to himself, he untangles his limbs from Jaemin's, tiptoeing to his trunk at the other side of the room so he doesn't wake up Donghyuck and Mark (although with how the two were snoring, clearly knocked out from all the running they did earlier, Jeno thinks he shouldn't really worry about being noisy). Jaemin makes a confused noise when he sees Jeno rummaging around his trunk for something. He stands up, walking towards the older to peer over his shoulder.

Jaemin takes a quick step back when the raven whips around. "... What's this for?" He finds himself asking when Jeno hands him a coat, staring at the article of clothing blankly as Jeno takes out another coat from the trunk and wears it.

Jeno rolls his eyes, moving to take the coat from a still confused Jaemin, draping it over the younger's shoulders. "You want to see the night sky, right?"

A slow, unsure nod. "Yes but... It's late and I've already bothered you a lot tonight..."

"It's fine. I don't mind." The older smiles, cupping Jaemin's cheeks and squishing them. "I want to see the sky too, anyway. I remember Taeyong hyung taking Jaehyun hyung somewhere to stargaze. I want to take you there too. It would be a waste not to go."

The brunet takes a while to answer, thinking over Jeno's words. When he does, it's with a wide smile and an enthusiastic nod. "Okay!"

Jeno's smile widens. He takes one of Jaemin's hands in his, lacing their fingers together as he takes a flashlight and a spare blanket from his trunk. He stuffs the blanket inside a knapsack, slinging the bag over his shoulder, before quietly leading the younger outside.

It took them a few minutes, but they managed to find a trail of moonflowers a little ways away from the camp.

They follow it.

 

* * *

   
"Are we there yet?" Jaemin repeats the question for the nth time and Jeno has to fight the urge to sigh at the younger, because he knows Jaemin's only doing this to distract himself since he was scared. They were trekking down an unfamiliar path through the forest after all; the canopy of trees barely let any moonlight slip by and the stillness of everything just made it so creepy.

Jeno feels Jaemin move closer to him, clinging to his arm when he accidentally steps on a fallen tree branch, the sound of the wood cracking echoing around them. "Where are you taking me anyway? Are you sure you're doing this to cheer me up and not to murder me because you're secretly an axe murderer?"

The raven snorts at this, stopping in favor of staring at Jaemin with one of his eyebrows raised. "Seriously, Nana? If I was secretly an axe murderer, you of all people would know."

"Or _would_ I?" Jaemin says conspiratorially. "For all I know, the place you told me about could be fake and this is you trying to keep your axe murderer identity a secret."

Jeno shakes his head, chuckling a bit as he continues walking, leaving Jaemin behind. "Sure, sure. Whatever you say, Nana."

"H-hey! Don't leave me!"

He manages to catch up to Jeno when the latter slows down, turning his flashlight off as they walked into a clearing. He sees Jeno look around a few times before turning his gaze upwards, smiling at the view he has of the sky.

"We're here." Jeno announces happily, glancing at Jaemin with sparkling eyes as he beckons the younger to stand beside him. "Now look up." He says when Jaemin reaches his side. The brunet does so, and what he sees makes him gasp in awe.

He reaches out to clutch at Jeno's shirt sleeve, making Jeno chuckle softly. "I assume you like it?"

Jaemin doesn't answer immediately. In fact, he doesn't do anything at all except stare at the sky, too caught up in admiring the masterpiece of stars above them to even notice the question.

The sky looked so different here compared to what they usually see at their camp. Likewise, the night sky back at home. Here, he could see the sky more clearly. Without the artificial lights of their neighborhood and their camp, he could see more of the little dots of hot gasses, twinkling every once in a while amidst the seemingly endless blanket of space. There's also the occasional red and green lights of a passing satellite.

He tears his gaze away from the night sky to marvel at the lake before them. The light from the moon made the lake glow a soft blue, the surface of the body of water acting as a mirror and reflecting the twinkling sky above.

"This place is so beautiful, Nono!" Jaemin exclaims, turning to Jeno (who was now sitting on the blanket- huh, when did he take the blanket out?) with a bright smile.

Jeno hums, replying with his own smile, "I'm glad you like it then." He pats the space beside him invitingly. Jaemin takes his offer, plopping himself down on the blanket, laying flat on his back as he refocused on the night sky.

  

* * *

   
Jaemin had always loved the stars, even when they were kids. He would always ask his parents to buy him astronomy books for his birthdays and Christmas gifts, while he asked Jeno to stay up with him to stargaze. Jeno would always say yes, and together they would camp out at either his or Jaemin's back yard until early morning, when the younger falls asleep and he carries him up to his bedroom before going back to his own room. Sometimes Jeno ends up sleeping next to Jaemin too, when he accidentally wakes him up. Jaemin would always scoot over to make some room before pulling the older boy beside him, hugging him so he couldn't escape (not that Jeno wanted to).

And while Jeno also loves the stars above, he can't help but admire the star sitting beside him more - with his mouth wide open in childlike wonder, staring up at the endless night sky, eyes twinkling like two galaxies home to billions of stars. Jaemin was- _is_ beautiful, in every sense of the word.

Seeing Jaemin so happy, smiling so bright, made Jeno happy.

  

* * *

   
He's too caught up in admiring Jaemin that he doesn't notice a small creature perching itself on the tip of his nose - until Jaemin squeals and scares it. The creature flies away and joins others of its kind, hovering around them.

"Jeno! Look! Fireflies!" Jaemin laughs, sitting up and tugging at Jeno's shirt sleeve excitedly.

Jeno chuckles, amusement making his eyes sparkle, but he doesn't say anything. He just watches the younger move away from him, following a line of tiny flickering balls of light with adorable fascination.

He looked so cute, the older wished he had brought a camera to take pictures. _Oh well_ , he thinks, snickering when Jaemin squeaks as a firefly hovers too close to his face. _There's always a next time_.

 

* * *

 

After a while, Jaemin walks back to sit beside him, leaning heavily against his shoulder. "Are you tired?" Jeno asks, wrapping an arm around the other's shoulder.

Jaemin nods his head slightly. "A little."

"Do you want to go back?"

"No, not yet. Can we stay a little longer?"

Jeno hums, running a hand through the brunet's soft locks. "Okay." He says, slowly lying back so Jaemin could be more comfortable. Jaemin releases a small sound of content, snuggling closer to the other's chest.

They stay like that for minutes until Jaemin starts nodding on and off. It's then that Jeno decides that it was time for them to go back. Jaemin agrees sleepily, standing up and waiting for the raven to pack up the blanket. He grabs the bag from Jeno as soon as he's done, slinging the straps over his shoulders.

Jeno gives him a confused look, so he pouts, "I'm sleepy. Carry me?"

The older shakes his head, chuckling, but complies anyway.

  

* * *

   
The long walk back to the camp is a quiet one, with Jaemin sleeping soundly on Jeno's back. Or at least, that's what he thought. About halfway through the forest (Jeno  _thinks_  they're about halfway. He's been walking for thirty minutes now...  _probably_ ), Jaemin speaks, surprising him.

"Sorry." The brunet mumbles sheepishly, hints of sleep evident in his voice. "I just want to say thank you."

Jeno snorts, hefting Jaemin higher up his back because the other was starting to slip. "You know you could just tell me that in the morning."

"I know but I might forget." He tightens his arms around Jeno. "It's been a while since we last went stargazing. I... I missed this."

"Yeah, I know... Me too."

In a way, it was true. The last time they went stargazing together was the summer of their second year in middle school. Jeno was busy the following years because of his duties as a music club member and while Jaemin understood, stargazing without the older male just didn't feel the same.

Which made tonight's stargazing one of the best, if not the best. Something about the setting of the place - the forest behind them, the lake in front bathed in soft moonlight, fireflies all around, and the masterpiece of stars above - made it feel special. Jaemin's glad he could spend such a beautiful moment with Jeno.

"Thank you." He mumbles again, leaning over Jeno's shoulder to press a chaste kiss on his cheek. "For cheering me up and for sharing to me such a magical place. Last night's sky was one of the most beautiful skies I've ever seen. And the fireflies, oh the fireflies-! I'm glad you were there with me."

Jeno takes a while to answer, caught off guard by the sudden kiss. When he finally does, with a stuttered _you're welcome_ , he is met with silence. Curiously, he peers over his shoulder to see Jaemin's face, relaxed with sleep. He chuckles, shaking his head fondly.

"Sleep well and sweet dreams, Nana." The raven whispers into the stillness of the early morning, smiling a smile reminiscent of the moon.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AFF: Night Breeze  
> Twitter: @KookiePolicy


	2. the sun is also a star (extra)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Without a star, the moon wouldn't shine.

 

"You know Jeno... You're like the moon."

"Eh? How so?"

A giggle. "When you smile, your eyes turn into half crescents. Or two half moons."

There's a short pause.

"Well, if I'm the moon then you're the sun. You're a star."

An amused stare. "Oh?"

Jeno shoves Jaemin playfully off the bed, making him laugh. "I was being serious here."

Jaemin calms himself down before returning to his spot beside the raven. "Okay, okay. Go on, tell me why."

"If I'm the moon, you're a star. Because the moon receives brightness from the sun, which is a star. Without a star, the moon wouldn't shine."

A moment of silence passes before Jaemin snorts, leaning back against the headboard. "That's so cheesy, Jeno." And even though Jaemin is laughing again, there's a soft blush on his cheeks.

Jeno stares at him, smiling fondly. "I know, Nana." Then his fond smile turns into a smirk, "You still like it though."

"Shut up."

 

 

 


End file.
